Subterraneans Collective

With a bulletin post and a little bit of curiosity I was glad to find the enticing design of the Subterraneans Collective's new webspace in Canada, to lead down the road to the finished Busride EP... So even though I was dying to hear the result of one of the recordings I had been killing myself softly to hear one day soon in completed form, I was glad to wait a few days from the download date to give it it's test run in the proper environment, when I had time to sit alone and absorb what I knew would be nowhere near the realms of disappointment.

So after having the plasma sucked from my veins for a little bit of to get by cash I stopped and grabbed a pouch of midnight special and a sparks plus to ease off my tensions of the day... had me a smoke at the first stop and used my other county transfer to get me to the next ride to a place I call home even though it's not my permanent residence. So before hopping on the ride home I pounded the sixteen ounce can of seven percent alcohol and caffeine and taurine goodness.

Quickly booting up the laptop I call my cell phone I loaded up the soundtrack for the bus ride home... starting off the EP were the most amazing transformations of songs i have loved since their birth, now matured to the permanent status in my mind of what one would call in the future a classic. From "On the Road (the Good Old Days)" to the "Lullaby" that pulled me back into town i'd have to say that this is one of the best EPs I've come across in a long time.

Thanks friends for the free download. Looking forward to hearing the future that is molded by your hands and minds together...

Well the real bus ride and the audio soundtrack are now over... but no matter which way i roll... it's the perfect soundtrack for any day.

thanks again. - Pork Records via MySpace

Dextrous, diverse, and downright funky best describe the Hamilton, Ontario Canada based group known as the Subterraneans Collective.

What started out as a acoustic duo in 2003, formed by Jay Baggett & Jon “the Bassist” Busutti, has now turned into a versatile seven piece group that are often supported by “Collective” members ranging from soloist horn players to simple percussionists. This wide range of sound and genre gives their music unexpected, Shyamalan-esque twists and turns, which adds excitement to the layers that eventually lead to a crisp, full, and stainless body of work.

Led by Jay Baggett (Vocals, Guitar), David Abbey (Drums, Vocals), Dave Reed (Keys,Vocals) and Jess Stone (Bass, Vocals), Subterraneans Collective recently opened their doors to new members and added Sam Klass, Tarek Ajak and Aerin Ellison, who lend their talents on Guitar, Sax/Flute and Trumpet respectively. After forming their new multi-faceted power collective, the Subterraneans released their 2010 debut, self produced, full length album, The Sinking Ship.
The Sinking Ship is a schizophrenic record laced with a wide range of musical moods: folk to reggae, shoegaze to pop, spaced out to funky. The band’s respect and admiration for Tom Waits, Grateful Dead, and The Television blare throughout the LP, but are comfortably nestled in between the Collective’s own genius, giving new life to old legends.

The band is now offering a double vinyl package that includes a free download copy of the album (which you’ll receive while the vinyl’s being pressed– it might have already been pressed pre-bandsoup article [?]), as well as three brand new, unheard, unreleased and otherwise unavailable tracks. Right now is the best time to jump on this, as the price will go up in the not-too-distant future. - BandSoup.com

Jay Baggett and Jon Busuttil formed The Subterraneans Collective in the summer of 2003 as an acoustic based duo. After recording their Busride EP and playing a variety of shows, many more musicians wanted to join in the jam. By 2007, the duo became a quartet with Dave Reed on keyboards and David Abbey on drums and more recently, the open musical membership has near doubled the band again. With their popularity growing amongst musicians and fans, this weekend the Subterraneans Collective offer their debut full length, The Sinking Ship.

“Once the quartet came together and we were playing more and more live, we definitely caught the ears of some like–minded musicians, who all basically jumped up at random during a couple of the house shows we were playing at,” recalls Baggett. “Right now we're rolling with as many as seven people (Tarek Ajak on sax and flute, Sam Klass on guitars and Aerin Ellison on trumpet), and it’s given us a chance to make every show a little different. And we’re still open to new additions and collaborations too.”

As a jam band, the Subterraneans Collective mine the pop/funk/rock of the Grateful Dead and Les Claypool but push those boundaries with their own melodic flair and improvisational skills.

“We had a pretty basic idea of what we wanted to do, but a lot of it was more or less on the fly, and the songs all sort of evolved as we went along,” says Baggett on the recordings done in his living room home studio. “Even the older ones changed as they progressed and wound up sounding completely different. We wanted to try to keep as much of the live feel intact as we could, but at the same time take advantage of the chance to mess about with sounds and ideas that aren’t as easy to do in a live situation. The variety of sounds happened organically; we never really set out to record a rock or a funk album, or anything like that. I think it all ties together nicely though, and that mix makes the Subterraneans’ sound.”

With new versions of some of the Busride tracks and a collection of all new material, the Subterraneans are about building things up toward the future on The Sinking Ship, sonically and philosophically. While the title of their new recording might seem negative, Baggett and the boys believe otherwise.

“With the revamped songs and the newer material, this album shows a bit of both where we started and where we’re headed,” notes Baggett. “You get a good look at what makes us want to create – not only our musical influences, but also the things we see, read, hear and experience as well.

“The Sinking Ship title probably sounds more negative than it’s intended,” he adds. “It’s meant more as unification: we’re all in the same boat, we’re all connected. The solution to the ship going under is realizing how true that is.”

With unity in mind, the band is set to thank a venue that helped them in their early days by playing a special improvisational instrumental set at a Mayday benefit for the Skydragon with artists like Rackula, Nilla, Sam Klass and Jay Hachey.

“We’re going to be playing an entirely improvised instrumental set, as the four–piece line up,” says Baggett. “The Sky Dragon community’s been a big supporter of us since the beginning, so playing Mayday is a good chance to say thank you.”

And while the CD release should focus on the future, it’s also a nod at what developed the Subterraneans Collective. They’re also showing their appreciation at this week’s gig by paying homage to a local band that helped offer their own inspiration.

“This show sort of fell into our lap, and the timing was perfect,” explains Baggett on the CD release date opening for the Fat Cats. “It’s an opportunity we’d been looking forward to, and so was too good to pass up. The Fat Cats have built a solid community around them, and it'll be a great chance to give them an earful of something we hope they pick up on, and dig it as much as we think they will.

“We’ve met some abundantly talented people over the course of this project and I can hardly wait to see what comes of putting minds together with them all again,” adds Baggett. “This show’s about us celebrating the culmination of a year’s work and having a good time with the folks who helped us get to this point.” - View Magazine